Living wage dismissed again

A STAFFORD councillor's plea for borough chiefs to reconsider introducing a living wage for council staff has fallen on deaf ears.

Councillor Maureen Bowen urged a full meeting of Stafford Borough Council this week to reconsider her proposal, first made in November, to investigate introducing the hourly rate, which is set independently, updated annually and calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. It is higher thanthe minimum wage.

Council leader Mike Heenan said the matter had already been debated and defeated and refused to discuss it further.